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Joerg, |
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I'd be glad if you (can) explain me where I'm wrong. |
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GPL, Section 0, Sentence 1: |
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====== |
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This License applies to any program or other work which contains a |
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notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed |
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under the terms of this General Public License. |
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====== |
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|
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mkisofs.c: |
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====== |
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/* |
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* Program mkisofs.c - generate iso9660 filesystem based upon directory |
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* tree on hard disk. |
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* |
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* Written by Eric Youngdale (1993). |
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* |
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* Copyright 1993 Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated |
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* Copyright (c) 1999,2000-2007 J. Schilling |
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* |
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* This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify |
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* it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by |
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* the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) |
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* any later version. |
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====== |
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So, the GNU GPL applies to mkisofs.c, right? |
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GPL, Section 0, Sentence 2: |
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====== |
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The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work |
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based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work |
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under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or |
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a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or |
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translated into another language. |
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====== |
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So, mkisofs.c is the "Program" and cdrtools is a "work based on the |
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Program", right? |
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GPL, Section 2, b: |
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====== |
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"You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in |
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whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part |
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thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties |
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under the terms of this License." |
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====== |
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You are publishing the cdrtools package. The cdrtools package "in whole |
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or in part contains" mkisofs.c. So, "you must cause" the cdrtools |
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package "to be licensed as a whole" under the terms of the GNU GPL, |
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right? |
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It seems to me that you are obliged to publish cdrtools under the GNU |
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GPL until cdrtools contains at least one piece of work which is licensed |
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under the GNU GPL. Actually that is what the GNU GPL is all about - to |
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force you to keep the source of a given project open if you had used any |
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GPLd work for that project. |
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How can this be achieved? Simply the GPL applies itself to the whole |
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system if even the smallest part of the system was licenced under it. |
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Like a virus. :) |
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-- |
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Best regards, |
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Daniel |
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-- |
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